Modern aircrafts typically employ an onboard data acquisition system for collecting digital flight data. In such systems, a number of sensors distributed throughout the aircraft provide data signals representative of the performance of the aircraft and its one or more engine(s). This flight data is stored in an attendant, physically robust flight data recorder (commonly referred to as the “black box”), so that in the unlikely event of an in-flight mishap, the flight data recorder can be removed and the stored flight performance data can be analyzed to determine the cause of the mishap.
In the unlikely event of a catastrophic aircraft failure, it is possible that the aircraft and the flight data recorder are never recovered. Even if the flight data recorder is recovered it may be damaged, thereby reducing the reliability of the stored flight performance data. In such a case, it may become impossible or difficult to determine the cause of the aircraft failure. Moreover, inability to examine the stored flight data can hinder the ability to predict and prevent similar problems in the future.